Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty sued by former chief of staff

The former chief of staff to Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty is suing his former boss, claiming he was pushed out of his job illegally.

The aide, Chris Gray, accused Haggerty in a lawsuit filed Friday of misusing his office to line his pockets with public money and firing him when he got in the way.

Gray worked in the District 1 office for 27 years, including 15 years under Haggerty, who was elected to represent Livermore, Dublin and Fremont in 1997. The supervisor fired him in June for unspecified reasons related to his work performance.

Gray, 56, said Haggerty had been looking for a way to get rid of him because of his age, poor health and because he had been complaining for years that Haggerty was flouting the law.

The supervisor misused and misappropriated public money, according to Gray’s lawsuit, which accuses the supervisor of violating the Whistleblower Act, the Fair Employment and Housing Act and the California labor code.

This is nothing more than a disgruntled employee trying to get a payoff,” said Shawn Wilson, Haggerty’s current chief of staff. “It is sad that it has come to this.”

Haggerty also dismissed the claims but said he could not comment because it is a personnel matter being litigated.